NLEX targets to complete P150-M SCTEX flood mitigation project in Q3

The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Corp. aims to complete a P150 million project that will mitigate the risk of flooding in a section of Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) by the third quarter of the year.

J. Luigi Bautista, president and CEO at NLEX Corp., said 50 percent of the road raising project in a 640 meter stretch of SCTEX Dinalupihan has been completed.

“We are always on the lookout for solutions that can help improve the reliability and safety of our roads and other structures,” Bautista said.

The project involves the construction of a new pavement on top of the existing one. It also includes adding new culverts to improve the drainage system of the section.

Bautista said parts of the road will be lifted to as high as two meters, as the toll road developer and operator fills them with layers of earth materials to prevent flooding.

When completed, motorists can pass through the expressway safely even during bad weather days.

“By elevating this portion of SCTEX, motorists can expect to traverse safer and more accessible routes especially during inclement weather conditions,” Bautista said.

Bautista said traffic management and safety measures were put in place to guide motorists and minimize delays even with the enforcement of lane closures for the project.

Prior to the road raising of SCTEX, NLEX Corp. increased the elevation of the Maritan Highway-Rizal Highway-Tipo Road as part of the capacity expansion of the Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX).

The company also delivered drainage improvement projects in 2015 and 2021 in Valenzuela City to mitigate flooding in the roads there. The firm built a pumping facility, including a sump, at the southbound lane of SFEX and replaced concrete drainage covers with durable steel gratings at the northbound side.

At present, NLEX Corp. is undertaking improvement works for the expressways that it operates. For one, the Candaba Viaduct in NLEX and the Pasig-Potrero Bridge in SCTEX are undergoing safety upgrades as recommended by engineers.

The concessionaire of NLEX and SCTEX are also enhancing their toll plazas, fixing interchange bridges and raising the elevation of pavements.

NLEX Corp. serves as a unit of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the toll road development arm of listed Metro Pacific Investments Corp.